Limon Rainforest

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by the government involving national parks

• National parks and reserves take up twenty per cent of the land area. People are not kept out of these areas completely but their use is monitored and carefully managed.

• Reserves that are owned and protected by private owners make up another five per cent. For example, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by the government involving NGOs

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and charities have been encouraged to take an interest; for example, the World Land Trust.

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by the government involving ecotourism

Ecotourism has become the main export of the country, bringing in US$1.92 billion annually.

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by the government involving legislation

-In 1979, Costa Rica passed legislation giving tax deductions and grants to owners of rainforest if they conserved their forest area and used it to benefit society by protecting water resources, biodiversity and scenic beauty

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by the government involving forest protection

The government issues forest protection certificates and pays landowners US$50 annually for every hectare of forest they protect.

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by the government involving national parks

In 1995, the government set up national parks to protect eighteen per cent of the country’s territory; privately owned reserves protect another thirteen per cent. The areas targeted for protection are those with high biodiversity.

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by the government involving decentralising

The government has decentralised its decision making with regards to protecting the rainforest. It has grouped all protected areas in the country into eleven eco-regions. Each area is allowed to make decisions on how its rainforest will be protected.

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by the government involving sustainable tourism

In 1997 the Costa Rican government introduced
the Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST) for businesses that can prove their commitment to sustainable tourism. The certificate has five levels, which include how the business looks after the environment and local people.

what was the percentage of forested area from 1990-2015

1990	50.2
1995	48.4
2000	46.5
2005	48.8
2010	51.0
2015	52.1

how is the rainforest being managed sustainably by ecotourism projects

In 1983, an ecotourism project called Rara Avis S.A. started in the Braulio Carrillo National Park. The idea was to show that the rainforest is a valuable economic resource that should be protected.

how has the Rara Avis S.A. ecotourism project helped

The reserve looks after 485 hectares of rainforest and has indirectly conserved another 1,000 hectares. The previous owners planned to cut down the trees and sell the timber but now it is being managed sustainably. It fulfills the government criteria for environmental management and social management as all of the employees are from the local village of Las Horquetas.

how has ecotourism benefited from NGOs

One of these projects is run by FUNDECOR (the Central Volcanic Mountains Development Foundation).Using a US$10 million grant from USAID (aid from the USA)

how does FUNDECOR manage sustainability

it works with local landowners to help them manage the rainforest sustainably so that they can qualify for government grants. In 2014, FUNDECOR was working with 400 landowners who owned approximately 46,000 hectares of land in the Central Volcanic Mountain Region.

how has private reserves helped sustainable management

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, 10,500 hectare reserve was founded in the 1950s by a Americans

how has the monteverde cloud forest reserve helped sustainable management

Its varied climate and altitude has a very high biodiversity. The reserve allows ecotourism but restricts the numbers of tourists it lets in by only having one place to stay in the reserve. It has guided walks and trails.

how has charities helped sustainable management

A World Land Trust project concentrated on the Osa Peninsula, which is one of the top twenty places of highest biodiversity in the world

how has the world land trust project helped sustainability through commodities

The project was to conserve the rainforest but also to work with local farmers. It purchased just over 2,000 hectares of land, which is now part of the Corcovado National Park. The trust worked with local farmers promoting growing vanilla to sell commercially. Small-scale ecotourism was also developed in the area.

how has carbon credits helped sustainability through commodities

Costa Rica sells carbon credits, wealthy countries buy them to offset the carbon emissions that they produce. This is a way for Costa Rica to earn money from its rainforest without cutting down the trees. In 1999, this idea generated US$20 million for the country.

how are deforested areas helping the country economically

Talamanca region deforested land is being used for farming. Commercial crops such as bananas and cocoa are grown and sold for export.